Program in Cumberland County to reduce number of old unresolved criminal cases appears to be working

BRIDGETON -- Efforts to cut back on Cumberland County's backlog of criminal court cases seem to be working, according to a report released Wednesday by the New Jersey judiciary.

The judiciary reported this week a "modest increase" across the state between July 2008 and June 2009 in old cases yet to be resolved in criminal court through plea agreements, jury decision or dismissals.

The problem was blamed on the loss of 300 staff positions and a high number of judge vacancies for the problem.

Cumberland County is going against the overall trend, after a decision made by Superior Court Judge Georgia Curio in February to put criminal trials on the backburner and concentrate on pre-trial motions and other proceedings.

"If we had left things as they were, the backlog would have exponentially increased," Curio said Wednesday. "Taking drastic measures, we cut into the backlog that we were already suffering and maybe were able to staunch the increase that everyone else suffered."

The total number of cases in backlog, defined by the judiciary as four months after a case is filed, dropped from 417 in July 2008 to 352 in June 2009.

The total backlog per 100 monthly filings decreased by 20 percent.

For the first time in a long time, the number of criminal cases resolved outnumbered the number of cases being added into the system.

The total number of active pending criminal cases dropped from 756 to 623.

"The fact that we have seen such a positive result from the program is a tribute to the cooperation of the prosecutor's office and the public defenders office and the hard work of the judges and staff," Curio said. "All of the participants in the criminal division deserve credit."

Cumberland, at one time, led the state in criminal case backlog, which is a hardship not only for those accused of crimes but also friends and families of crime victims.

Cumberland's backlog now ranks behind Burlington and Mercer counties.

It is still above the state average.

Curio said the efforts being taken by the judiciary will continue, despite admitting they have been "onerous" on the judge, the staff and lawyers.

"That's a reality," she said. "At some point, I'm going to have to be willing to go back to the more typical method of scheduling cases, but I want to be cautious that we don't fall back into old habits."